Every game this past season for junior guard Jason Reels was a battle. Reels was a captain for the Eagles, anchoring an offense which averaged 64.5 points a game in MAC Freedom Conference play.
Reels’ skills on the court earned him a spot on the All-Conference 2nd team in the Freedom Conference.
“Jason continues to grow as a basketball player and has made strides in his leadership,” Head Coach Matt Nadelhoffer said. “He is someone I would go to battle with and for.”
Reels led his team in points per game for the second consecutive season as he posted 13.7 a contest. Reels remembered that the Jan. 24 game against Wilkes was not only important for himself, but also for his teammates.
“I just got in the zone at the free throw line,” Reels said of the game. “We had to split with Wilkes so we could get the seeding we wanted in the tournament.”
At the Wilkes game, Reels finished 10-11 from the free throw line and posted a game high 19 points.
“This year I had so many good players around me,” Reels said. “There wasn’t a case that if I didn’t play well, we couldn’t win. I had people around me that could play well also.”
Reels finished second on the team with five rebounds a game. He led the team in minutes played and finished third in assists. The team ended with a 10-6 conference record.
“Competition in the league was what I expected,” Reels said. “You couldn’t take a night off. We won the games we needed to win.”
Reels could not take a night off as he was the lone starter who returned for the Eagles this season.
“I had to step up off the court,” Reels said. “We were a really young team. A lot of the younger guys look up to me. I have to be a good example. I felt like this year I had to grow up.”
The junior guard will look to be a leader on the floor once again next season.
“It is hard to believe he is going to be a senior next season,” Nadelhoffer said. “I expect him to work harder than anyone in our program.”